Only 8% of the UK’s female-led businesses are seeking out external investment, with the majority opting to take the ‘bootstrap’ approach, figures from the government’s Small Business Survey 2015 suggest. Published by the new department for business, energy and industrial strategy, the survey found that, of 3,215 women-led businesses surveyed, only 262 applied for finance last year.

Of this number, only 69 female-led businesses applied for finance more than once.

For those women that did apply for finance, be they a sole trader, running a micro-business, small business or medium business, an average of 90% were successful in receiving “some investment”. The report follows a recent article published by Startups.co.uk which discussed investment as one of the biggest barriers facing female entrepreneurs today; namely because many women aren’t aware of the funding options available to them.